How does one capture Earth and in seventeen syllables? I will say this haiku did not come as easily others, probably because Earth is so immense with its oceans and mountains and cultures and species and colors and scents and the way it all works together and the way we take it for granted and the greed that has raped so much that makes her beautiful.

I’ve listened to several astronauts talk about how their perspectives change when they see Earth from space. They’ve talked about the overwhelming feeling of our insignificance. They see Earth as a vessel carrying a variety of passengers, which makes us all the same. And in the immense, black emptiness, there is the realization that this is all we have and we’d better take care of it.

So, as I thought of all of this, I wrote a lot of syllables and did a lot of scratching-out on my scratch pad. But I finally whittled down Day 22’s haiku to celebrate both Earth Day and National Poetry Month.

Give it a try — if nothing else, it will inspire reflections of your own feelings about Earth! Remember, you might win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!

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New to writing haiku? Here’s the pattern:

Three lines with a total of seventeen syllables:

5 syllables
7 syllables
5 syllables

Anyone who shares a haiku in the comments is entered into a drawing to win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!